You know I have to start off a black-eyed peas post with a little Black-Eyed Peas. Where are the Black-Eyed Peas these days, anyway? And Fergie for that matter? I’m kind of missing her.

I’m digressing, hard. I will say, though, that I know exactly where the black-eyed peas are – the ones in this Jalapeno Black-Eyed Pea Hummus, at least.

I’m way, way too stoked about this black-eyed pea hummus recipe. For years, I’ve been determined to eat black-eyed peas at New Year’s. They’re supposed to bring good luck, after all! I’ve tried several renditions of Hoppin’ John, and I could barely choke down a couple of bites every time. Not my cup of tea.

So this year, I thought, why not see if I can puree these bad boys into something more palatable? Hummus it was; jalapenos needed to happen, too. Plus, the peppers kind of look like coins. Bonus luck?! (My daughter also thinks they look like animal faces. I, too, see a panda in the top slice and a cute puppy in the second. Is it just us?)

I do love this hummus. It actually tastes very similar to classic hummus, with just a smidge more earthy flavor thanks to the black-eyed peas. The jalapeno gives it a little kick and the cilantro cools it down a bit. Addictively dippy.

The black-eyed peas will, I hope, bring you luck. The jalapenos will bring spiciness. Both welcome in the new year, if you ask me!

Directions:

Add black-eyed peas, tahini, jalapenos (start with less then add more if more heat is desired), lemon juice, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, cilantro, and cumin to the pitcher of a high-powered blender or to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the S-blade. Puree until smooth, adding the reserved liquid as needed to keep everything moving. Taste and add additional jalapeno pepper, cilantro, and salt, if desired.

Spoon into a bowl and smooth the top. Scatter on optional garnishes, if desired, and drizzle with olive oil. Serve with pitas, pita chips, veggies, or whatever else you like to dip in hummus!

I notice that your site has a recipe for Black-eyed peas hummus. There is no such thing.

The word “hummus” means “chickpeas” in Arabic and the dip that has become known in the West as plain “Hummus” is to us Arabs “Hummus bi tahini” (chickpeas with tahini). Any similar dish that doesn’t use chickpeas is just a dip and should called called one.

Cultural appropriation is a serious problem and when non-Arabs take an Arab dish and change it willy nilly without respecting what it actually is, they are participating in cultural appropriation.

And I know you don’t want to do that. Please change the name of that recipe to reflect what it really is and not try to change the definition of a dish that is hundreds of years old.

It is a bit ridiculous to be offended by the name of this recipe. Yes, “hummus” means chickpea in Arabic, but many other cultures claim hummus as their food as well. By definition hummus is a dip or spread made from chickpeas or other beans. There are so many things in this world to be upset about, but a recipe using hummus in the name is definitely not one of them.

I’m not sure why you find it “ridiculous.”
2. “Many other cultures? There are a few, and none make it without chickpeas. 3. I’ve checked with a number of dictionaries online and all of them describe hummus as being made of chickpeas. Any definition that includes other beans is just someone making things up. 4. I grew up in an English/Arab-American home. There were all kinds of dips served there – onion dip, bean dip, hummus, baba ghanouj and others. At that time, most Americans had never heard of hummus. Now, that it’s been “discovered” by Americans, many (in their ignorance) think they can change what they’ve always called “dips” into forms of “hummus.” If Americans have always called things dips, why change now? We’ve always had bean dips, why are we suddenly calling them hummus? I have no problem with American ingenuity, and that includes American culinary innovation, that’s what’s made us great. But often we don’t have a proper respect for other cultures,and feel entitled to change things however we want to. 5. Regarding American ignorance about hummus: I notice the creator of this recipe is described as a “home cook,” which is fine of course, but she’s not a trained chef. A trained chef would know that Hummus is made of chickpeas, but in the popular American food entertainment and publishing world people seem to have little regard for history, accuracy, or culinary education. And in this case, as I mentioned in my original comment, respect for other cultures. It’s like an Arab making an apple pie but with cherries instead of apples, yet still calling it apple pie. Why not? It’s still a pie made with fruit! 6. Demanding purity and respect is not unheard of in the culinary world. You can’t call any sparkling white wine Champagne: only the ones that come from the Champagne region of France. Anything like it from somewhere else must be called “sparkling wine.” 7. You’ve decided, for me, that of all that is upsetting in the world, that I shouldn’t be upset about hummus. That is the sort of problem we’re talking about here. Americans believe they can not only change and rename whatever they want, but they believe they can tell others what should or shouldn’t be important to them. You might want to read up on cultural appropriation – you’ll that there are many, many people who are fighting against it.